A New Day Beginning'
by scribhneoir
Summary: In his final year at school, with the war over and Voldermort gone, Ron finally realises how he feels about Hermione. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

TITLE: 'A New Day Beginning'  
AUTHOR: scribhneoir  
SUMMARY: In his final year at school, with the war over and Voldermot gone, Ron finally realises how he feels about Hermione.  
CHARACTER: Ron.  
RATING: K/K+  
DISCLAIMER: JK Rowling owns the Harry Potter universe and everything and everyone in it, I am just a fan who is letting my imagination run a bit wild.

If you like this story and want to review that would be great…if you didn't like it review and let me know why as I am doing all this to try and improve my writing.

Ron slowly opened his eyes and sleepily looked at his watch. 4.30am…

"Right", he said to himself, "Move…get up now". Nearly ten minutes later he managed to open his eyes again. Making a quick decision he realised that he was never going to be able to keep his eyes open long enough to get any work done if he stayed in bed. He quickly grabbed his wand, gathered his books together and quietly made his way towards the door, trying not to wake any of his dorm-mates as he made his way over clothes, books, shoes and many other things that littered the floor of the boys dorm.

He had to stop himself shouting "Bloody Hell!" as he stubbed his toe on a particularly large book that seemed to have been thrown across the room and was now lying right in front of the door. "At least I'm awake now", he thought with a small smile as he made his way out the door closing it carefully behind him. No matter how many times he had been getting up at this time it was not getting any easy. He was now in his 7th year with his NEWT's fast approaching. And not that he'd admit it to anyone, but he was a bit worried about them and had been getting up at 4.30 for the past month to get some extra studying done. Admittedly he was tired quite a lot of the time, and he had found himself dozing during breakfast quite a lot, but it seemed to be working. His grades were improving and he found himself feeling a bit more confident about the exams and about his own abilities. And besides, he wasn't the only 7th year with some different study habits. Coffee had officially been banned in Hogwarts now due to the fact that a large number of 7th year Ravenclaws had been trying to get by on no sleep and extra strength coffee for the past two months. An investigation was begun when the normally attentive 7th year Ravenclaws had all put their heads down on their tables in the middle of Transfiguration class and had begun to snore very loudly. Then after waking up they had all stampeded to the kitchens to get some coffee. Professor McGonngall was not amused and coffee had now been added to the list of banned items outside Filch's office.

Although the 7th years grumbled about the workload and the stress, they were all glad to be focusing on something 'normal' for a change. The war was over and Voldermot had been defeated early in the year, and after the stress of the final battle and the celebrations when the light side won, a bit of normalcy and routine was a welcome change of pace. Ron, Harry and Hermione in particular were determined to enjoy their remaining time in the school. After Harry had recovered from the final battle, they had thrown themselves into school life with enthusiasm and happiness. Harry had said that it still felt strange to be able to just go to classes, play Quidditch, hang out in the common room, visit friends and worry about exams without having to think about an evil wizard coming after you and those that you care about.

So that has led to Ron quietly making his way towards the common room with his advanced transfigurations book under his arm. After everything that everyone had been put through lately, he was determined to do his best in the exams. He felt that he owed it to his parents, to Hermione, but most of all to himself. Now that he could see the end of his time in school coming close he was determined to give himself the best possible chances for the future. He had found that he needed a bit of peace and quiet to get the most out of his study time, and had discovered that the common room at 4.30am was the best location. There was never anyone else about, and there was always a small fire still burning in the fireplace.

He stifled a yawn as he reached the bottom of the stairs and made his way over to the comfy chair beside the fire. After sitting down, and roughly running his hands through his red hair in an attempt to wake up, he happened to glance towards the sofa. He was surprised to see someone lying there sleeping with their back to him. The person mumbled something in their sleep and turned around so that Ron could see her face. He smiled as he saw Hermione mumble something about "…unprepared…exam…. professor". Her hair had fallen out of the ponytail as she had slept, and as Ron looked at her he found himself thinking about how he really felt about her. Although he knew that their friendship would survive whatever the future would bring, he found himself feeling a bit depressed about the thought of not seeing her on a regular basis. "I like her", he thought to himself as he watched her sleep, "I really like her…I fancy her…great I've admitted it to myself, now all I have to do is get the courage to tell her".

A loud crash brought him back to the present as he looked at a large book that had fallen from the sofa and had hit the floor. Hermione sat straight up, startled out of her slumber by the noise.

"What…whatshappenin'…whatsgoingon?" she looked around trying to get her bearings and figure out what was happening and where she actually was. Ron went to her side,

"Shush 'Mione , it's okay , you fell asleep in the common room, it's okay"

"What about the exam, I'm not prepared, I need more time", she looked around frantically still not completely awake.

Ron held her hand as he tried to calm her down,

" 'Mione listen to me, it's okay, you were just dreaming, everything's alright."

"Ron?", she turned to look at him.

"Yeah, 'mione"

They sat there for a while, watching the fire, neither really minding that they were still holding hands and both realising how right it felt as the sun began to rise over the Hogwarts grounds.

"Ron?"

"yeah?"

"What were you doing in the common room at this time of the morning?"

He nodded towards his transfiguration book, which sat on the chair by the fire and answered,

"Thought I'd do a bit of studying while it's quiet". She looked toward him with a smile, and leaned her head against his shoulder while still holding his hand.

Ron allowed himself to forget about exams, about worries and about stress as he sat there with Hermione. He looked out the nearest window as a new day began to dawn at Hogwarts. The grounds began to come into focus as the light began to creep its way across the forest, the grounds and the castle itself. As Ron realised that Hermione had fallen asleep with her head against his shoulder and with his hand holding hers, he finally realised the fact that he loved her. He couldn't imagine going into the future without her by his side, and the thought of her not having him by her side every day was unimaginable. He wanted to fall asleep by her side and wake up to see her face every morning. He wanted to laugh with her; he wanted to argue with her over silly things and then apologize and make up; he wanted to make her a cup of tea in the morning; to make sure that she didn't stay up all night reading a book; to comfort and support her when she needed it; to simply be by her side. He loved her.

And as he slowly closed his eyes, he told himself that enough time had been wasted, too many people had lost too much for him to let another day go by without telling her how he felt. He closed his eyes and a bright smile graced his face. He would tell her everything when they woke up because, for now, he just wanted to capture this moment with Hermione's hand in his and a new day beginning.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: 'A New Day Beginning'  
Author: scribhneoir  
Summary: In his final year at school, with the war over and Voldermort gone, Ron finally realises how he feels about Hermione.  
Character: Ron.  
Rating: K+  
Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns the Harry Potter universe and everything and everyone in it, I am just a fan who is letting my imagination run a bit wild. I own nothing.

If you like this story and want to review that would be great…if you didn't like it review and let me know why as I am doing all this to try and improve my writing.

A/N:

Originally I had intended for this story to have been a one-shot, but after reading my very first review (thank you jeevesandwooster), I had some more ideas for this story so here's chapter two.

Ron found that although the moment that he had shared with Hermione only a few hours previously had been perfect, waking up after sleeping sitting on the sofa was less than perfect. As he raised his hand to rub the sore muscles in his neck, he heard a sleepy and slightly uncertain voice.

"Ron?"

"Morning 'Mione"

Any last vestiges of sleep vanished as Hermione jumped to her feet and looked quickly around the common room. Ron, whilst trying to move past the thought that Hermione's hand should still be in his, tried to figure out what was actually happening.

"Hermione, what's wrong? Calm down"

"Calm down?" she turned to him as he stood beside her, "Ron, I am Head Girl, what if someone had seen us?"

"Hermione, you fell asleep and then I fell asleep. Anyone who saw us would realise that we were studying and just fell asleep. Relax and take a deep breath before you pass out or some thing because Merlin knows how I would be able to explain that to anyone" Ron breathed a sigh of relief when he was rewarded with a small smile from Hermione, and she began to calm down a bit.

"I'm sorry Ron", she said as she sank into the nearest chair, "I'm just so stressed about the exams and everything, I haven't really been sleeping that well lately"

Ron dropped back down onto the sofa and looked to her with a small smile, "That might have something to do with sleeping on the sofa in the common room"

"True, you may have a point there".

"Besides, you know I've been thinking about something. I think we should all get an O in our Defence Against the Dark Arts exams, after this year", Ron smiled when his small attempt at a joke was rewarded with a smile from Hermione and her saying,

"Ronald Weasley" in an echo of many other times when they had sat in this common room.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, both of them just feeling comfortable in each other's company. Ron was also trying to summon up enough courage to keep the promise he had made to himself only a few hours ago. It had all seemed so straight forward then, but now the moment had arrived when he would have to put his feelings into words and suddenly he was speechless.

He glanced at his watch and realised that they had a bit of time before anyone else appeared, it was only 7.30am. If he didn't tell her now he would have to wait until this evening or even tomorrow to get a moment with her. He couldn't wait; he had to tell her now. If he thought too long about it, he may lose his nerve; he may say the wrong thing. "I have to tell her now", he thought to himself and looked towards her only to find her looking at him with a small smile on her face. Her hair had come loose completely over the past few hours and was hanging freely on her shoulders and her brown eyes were alight with curiosity and dare he hope…love? All of sudden, telling her became a whole lot easier.

"You were away in a world of you own there for a while, a penny for your thoughts?"

Ron smiled at her use of the muggle phrase,

"Actually I was thinking about something that I realised last night", he took a deep breath and continued, leaning forward to look into her eyes as told her the truth.

" 'Mione, you know you are one of my best friends, right?"

"Of course Ron, and you are one of mine. What's all this about?" she began to look a bit concerned about his serious tone of voice and manner, so he quickly continued.

"Hermione, I realised something last night that I guess I already knew in a way. I care about you very much. Your friendship, and Harry's of course, mean the world to me. I think that's how I managed to get through everything especially over the past year. I know that our friendship has kept the three of us strong…and I wouldn't want to do anything that would put that in danger…or anything."

As he paused for a breath Ron thought to himself "Great…now I'm starting to ramble, get to the point!"

The redhead reached for Hermione's hand and held it much as he had done up until a few minutes ago.

" 'Mione, I really like you and care for you, and was wondering if you would like to go to the next Hogsmeade weekend with me, on a date?" As he tried to decipher her reaction, she seemed to be momentarily stunned.

"You care for me?"

"Actually," he replied with a smile, "I…I love you". He couldn't believe how easy it was to say those three words. He had thought that those would be the words that would be the hardest to say. But it had seemed to him the most natural, and the most magical thing, in the world to say those words to Hermione. It was the truth. And now that he had actually said those three simple words everything seemed so much clearer. So much so, that he had to say it again,

"I love you Hermione, and I can't believe it has taken me so long to actually say it, I thought it would be difficult to say it but I …." his voice trailed off as he grew puzzled at Hermione's reactions. He knew he had seen some surprise in her eyes at his announcement, but he also saw happiness there as well. He knew he had seen a spark of joy in her eyes at the news, which was why he was now puzzled to see her look upset and sad.

His heart quickly shattered as she broke eye contact and removed her hand from his. He had not thought this through. He had been convinced that she had shared his feelings; that everything would be all right now, but the look on her face as she stood and moved towards the fireplace told a different story. She did not feel the same and now he had ruined their friendship too.

She didn't turn to face him, choosing instead to look at the remains of the once warm fire as she said,

"Ron, I'm sorry. I…I don't feel the same, I really am sorry, I…"

He couldn't let her finish what she was going to say, he couldn't listen to the rejection he had seen in her eyes made manifest into words, so he interrupted.

" No Hermione, it's okay…well…not really…but I understand", Ron quickly stood up "I'd better go and get changed and get ready for classes".

Ron quickly made his way towards the stairs that led to the dormitory, with his world falling to pieces around him. It was as if a dementor had removed everything that had any glimmer of joy or happiness from his life, and he was devastated. As he moved quickly away from the common room, he didn't see the tears that were running down Hermione's face; he didn't see the equally devastated look on her face as she raced towards the girl's dorm.

Neither one of them noticed Harry at the foot of the boys stairs or Ginny at the girls stairs. Neither one of them saw the shock on their friends faces, and neither one of them saw Harry and Ginny meet each other's eyes across the common room. And neither one of them heard the plans that were made regarding them by Harry Potter and Miss Ginny Weasley.

A/N There will be one more chapter in this story, when everything will become clear and I have to say that I kind of like happy endings.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns the Harry Potter universe and everything and everyone in it, I am just a fan who is letting my imagination run a bit wild. I own nothing.

- If you like this story and want to review that would be great…if you didn't like it review and let me know why as I am doing all this to try and improve my writing.

A/N:

Thank you jeevesandwooster for your wonderful reviews, I hope that you like the final chapter in this story. It's been great to know that someone has been reading the story and likes it…so…here's chapter three.

Chapter 3. 

"Harry, what's going on?" Ron asked as he pulled his arm away from his friend and turned to glare at him.

He really was not in the mood for any games and just wanted to be left alone. He had been sitting in the common room, just staring into the fire and thinking moodily about what had happened over the space of the last 24 hours, when Harry had grabbed his arm and pulled him into the corridor. Before he knew it they were at the entrance to the astronomy tower.

"Ron, you have been depressed all day, if you had sat in the common room any longer tonight the first years would have burst into tears!"

"What are you talking about Harry? You're mental…I'm fine", he turned to walk away but the sound of Harry's voice stopped him.

"Ron, I know what happened this morning"

He was stunned. Harry knew? Who else knew? He didn't want anyone else to know, to look at him with pity in their eyes and think "Poor Ron". Besides, it was no-one else's business. But before he could say anything Harry spoke again,

"Ron, you don't know the full story, I don't know what's happening but I know that there is more for you and Hermione to talk about and the way the two of you have been avoiding each other and everyone else all day that's never going to happen. So I have decided to take some action".

There was something about the mischievous glint in Harry's eyes that made Ron feel a bit uneasy and did very little to diminish the annoyance he was beginning to feel.

"Harry, just leave it will you? If you heard everything this morning you'll know that she doesn't feel the same way I do, and I really don't feel like humiliating myself again thanks all the same", he turned quickly, trying to forget that the past day had ever happened when he heard the spell that Harry shouted.

"_Petrificus Totalus!"_

His arms and legs immediately froze and he fell to the ground with a loud thud. And although his ability to glare angrily at his best friend was significantly diminished by the spell, it didn't stop him trying. Harry's apologetic green eyes came into view as he was giving the stone ceiling the best glare he could manage. At least Harry had the grace to wince at the angry look and smile a bit sheepishly.

"Yeah…emm…sorry about that mate, but you're going to hear what I have to say, and if I have to use magic to get you to stay put and listen then so be it. Ron, as your friend and Hermiones, I am not going to let you both make yourselves miserable. And yes Hermione's miserable too. If you had actually talked to her today instead of ignoring her, you would have seen that. I don't know everything that's going on…and neither do you, and you're never going to know the truth if you don't talk to Hermione. Life's too short Ron, you and I both know that after everything that's happened, and all that I'm asking is that you talk to Hermione. Could you do that?"

Harry looked at Ron with eyebrows raised, obviously expecting some sort of an answer, to which Ron tried to pointedly glare at him.

"Oh right, sorry, forgot about that"

After Harry had released Ron from the spell and helped him to his feet, the friends stood in silence for a minute. Ron finally leaned back against the stone walls of the corridor, hands in his pockets, and looked Harry in the eyes. He sighed, and said,

"You really think I should talk to her?"

Harry was nearly holding his breath, hoping that he had gotten through to his stubborn friend.

"Yeah mate, I do."

"I just…I don't want to hear her say it again" Ron suddenly found his shoes very interesting as he continued, "…that she doesn't feel the same way…you know?"

"Ron, please just talk to her…give her a chance"

The tall redhead finally looked up and with a slight nod of his head indicated that Harry's mission had been successful. He was going to talk to Hermione.

"You wouldn't happen to know where Hermione is would you?"

"Actually…" Harry suddenly looked a bit embarrassed and awkward as he pointed towards the door that led to the astronomy tower.

"How do you know?"

"Well…now don't get mad Ron"

"Harry?"

"Yeah Ron?"

"Why would I be mad?"

"Someone told me that Hermione goes to the tower when she needs to think", Harry said quickly, hoping in vain that Ron would not really notice his use of the word 'someone'.

"Harry?"

"Yeah…"

"Who told you?" and although Ron had to admit that he did have a sneaking suspicion about who it might have been, he needed to hear Harry say the words.

"It was Ginny".

"Ginny knows!"

"Ron, she's friends with Hermione. She cares about you both very much and she wanted to help. Now are you going to waste time standing here, or are you going to go and talk to Hermione?"

Ron's gaze moved towards the heavy wooden door that led to the spiral staircase that guided the way to the top of the astronomy tower. As he took a deep breath and reached for the door handle, he half turned back towards Harry.

"Thanks mate", and he opened the door and stepped through.

With a bright smile Harry hurried back to the common room to up date Ginny on the progress of their plans. Part one was now complete. Part two? That was up to Ron and Hermione.

As Ron climbed his way up the spiral staircase, he tried to remain calm, to keep walking and to face Hermione. Harry was right; he had to know the truth. If Hermione didn't feel the same way about him that he felt about her, then they had to talk about it. Although it hurt to think of her not sharing the love he felt for her, he couldn't bear the thought of not having her in his life, even if it was to be only as a friend. The light from the lit torches that lined the walls of the staircase flickered across his face as he reached the top. Summoning every ounce of courage he possessed, he pushed open the door and his breath caught in his throat at the image before him. Hermione. She was leaning on the high wall that surrounded the tower, gazing out into the night sky, with tears running down her face.

"It's now or never", Ron thought to himself as he drew a slightly unsteady breath and moved towards Hermione.

"And I thought you didn't like heights"

She turned slightly towards him, quickly wiping the tears from her face and answered him with a small sad smile,

"I don't mind heights, it's the whole idea of hovering 50 feet in the air with nothing but a broom to stop you falling that makes me a bit nervous"

"Ah, I see". He joined her at the wall, standing beside her, looking out over the darkened grounds of Hogwarts. He couldn't look her in the eyes yet; he couldn't bear to see the rejection that he now knew was imminent in her beautiful eyes. But as he fought to remain calm he saw Hermione out of the corner of his eye, desperately trying to remove any sign of tears from her face. He couldn't bear to see her so upset.

"It's okay to cry you know"

She seemed momentarily stunned by both his understanding and his thoughtfulness. She was at a loss for words but found that none were necessary as they stood in silence for a while.

Hermione's voice almost startled Ron as she broke the silence and spoke in a slightly shaky voice that seemed to be so unlike her.

"I'm scared Ron", she seemed to gain strength from the actual saying of those words as she continued,

"No…more than that…I'm terrified. I thought that when the war was over I would be able to think about things without feeling like this, but now that everything's changing and everything's so uncertain…I'm…I'm scared Ron"

The thought of anything scaring Hermione to this extent almost broke Ron's heart. She shouldn't have to feel so frightened. He wanted to be able to protect her, to support her, but he wasn't sure that was what she wanted. He wanted her to be able to talk to him about her worries. He recognized a glimmer of hope in the situation as he realised that she was talking to him about her worries, and that he would listen. He would be her friend, a good friend, if that was what she wanted. He loved her too much to see her so upset.

"What has you so frightened Hermione?"

"It's nothing…" she sighed, tracing her fingers along the stone of the wall, "…and everything. The thought of leaving Hogwarts soon and going out into the world, the exams and what could happen, what if I completely forget everything and fail them all? What if I never get a job or what if the only job that I can get makes me miserable? What if I loose touch with the muggle world once I am a fully qualified witch? The thought of losing touch with my friends, with Harry, scares me… the thought of losing you terrifies me"

Ron looked to her as she spoke. How could she have pretended for so long that everything was fine when she was obviously so worried about so many things. He knew that she worried about things, but still…this was a bit much even for her. She turned to look him in the eyes as he spoke,

"Okay first things first, you are going to do fine in the exams… you know all the material and you will remember it. And secondly the exams are not the end of the world, you know that", he was rewarded with a small smile so he continued, "I am sure that you will find a job that you love and that you will be good at. You will never lose touch with the muggle world, it's a part of who you are, it's where your family is and whether or not you are a fully trained witch changes nothing about that. You may lose touch with some of your friends, but I can tell you for certain that you will never lose Harry as your friend", his heart broke as he added, "And despite what has happened I will always be there for you as a friend Hermione, if that's what you want"

"When did you get so wise Ronald Weasley?" she asked him with a smile as she leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Well…I had to grow up some time, right?" he smiled as he allowed himself to savour that moment for a split second, before he continued.

"And as for being afraid of what comes after Hogwarts…I see it as an adventure. Think about it Hermione…imagine the possibilities, sure… I am a bit nervous about what may be to come but at the end of the day I am excited about the unknown."

They resumed their watch over the darkened grounds for a minute before Hermione was once again the one to break the silence.

"There was something else Ron"

"What?"

"There was something else I was afraid of"

"What's that?"

The silence reigned for another moment as Ron's thoughts raced about what Hermione could be talking about.

"I wasn't completely honest with you this morning", she took his hand as she spoke and Ron had to remind himself to breathe as she continued. "I was scared about the feelings that I have for you Ron. I am used to being able to look at facts and figures, to find evidence to prove or disprove something, but the way that I feel about you is uncontrollable, unpredictable and impossible to measure", she turned to once again look into his eyes and Ron dared to hope that she shared his love for her.

"I am so sorry that I hurt you when you told me how you feel, I was scared that if I admitted how I felt, then it would hurt even more when I lost you. But I know now that it would make absolutely no sense to make each other miserable based on a fear when we could be so happy together. Ron, I can't imagine facing those adventures in the future without you by my side and…" she smiled as she said the words that Ron had convinced himself he would never hear from her, "I love you too"

Ron's smile was like a beacon in the darkness as he realised that Hermione did love him; that she shared his feelings for her. He quickly wrapped his arms around her and lifted from the ground in celebration. Hermione laughed lightly at his obvious happiness and when her feet touched the ground again she rested her head on his shoulder.

Ron was quickly realising that he had yet another perfect moment to add to his memories; he savoured this moment as he stood atop the astronomy tower with the woman whom he loved in his arms. He heard a whisper from Hermione,

"What now Ron?"

He looked towards the velvet sky with the shining stars twinkling and winking at the darkened world. He smiled and returned his gaze to Hermione as she lifted her head to look at him.

"Now? 'Mione, now we face whatever happens tomorrow together. Imagine the possibilities…who knows what a new day will bring?"

The End.


End file.
